AKRON, Ohio — A 17-year-old male was found killed near the I Promise School in Akron on Thursday night.
The Summit County Medical Examiner has confirmed the victim to be Ethan Liming, a 17-year-old rising senior at Firestone Community Center.
According to authorities, Liming was found near the basketball courts at the I Promise School, located at 400 West Market Street at approximately 10:45 p.m. The school is a public school in Akron that is supported by the LeBron James Family Foundation.
According to a preliminary investigation, Liming was with a group of friends who pulled into the school parking lot. Upon arriving, Liming and his friends became involved in a fight with at least three other males who were already playing basketball at the property. During the incident, he was knocked unconscious and brutally assaulted.
Following the incident, people who were present at the altercation rushed home and called 911. Officers and EMS arrived within minutes to find the Liming unconscious with severe injuries and he was pronounced dead on the scene.
Liming's death is being investigated as a homicide. On Friday, Akron Public Schools superintendent Christine Fowler Mack released the following statement to faculty and staff:
"Our Akron Public Schools family expresses its deepest condolences and offers its prayers to the family and friends of a student who lost his life last night. We mourn as one for Ethan Liming, a 17 year old rising senior at Firestone Community Learning Center. Ethan was a student leader at his school and was in the Academy of Design there.
"The death of a student affects all of Akron Public Schools. Ethan’s passing is, sadly, one of many we have experienced during this school year. May we all pause a moment from our daily pressures to give thanks for the lives of these children. May we forever find ways to keep our memories of them alive. Each of these losses reminds us about how precious, and sometimes fleeting, life can be.
"Our crisis team is assisting staff at Firestone CLC and, as always, will make themselves available to students."
On Friday afternoon, LeBron James and the LeBron James Family Foundation expressed their condolences via Twitter.